Circulation of the Force
Circulating the Force "A Sith knows when to unleash the fury of the dark side, and when to hold back. Patience can be a weapon if you know how to use it, and your anger can fuel the dark side if you learn how to control it."Darth Bane When to hold back… An interesting clue. Through out the expanded universe, Sith are described as holding, building, moving, and whirling the energies within themselves; to achieve greater effect. Is this the Dark Side at work? Does the Dark Side wish to be known so badly, that it inspires writers of fiction to add reference , veiled though it may be, to a process of true power? It must be, as Circulation of the Force is a technique thousands of years old. Originating in the Ancient Taoist traditions of the 4th century BC. In circulation, the breath and will are combined with the accumulation of the Force, driving the Living Force around in a circle, spreading power to the limbs and mind, and diving the body. This circulation is the first redirection the Force makes after leaving the Second Heart. From here it moves up and down spreading through an intricate series of channels, called Meridians, in the human body. Meridians are however, beyond the scope of this module. So if its already circulating why do I need to do this? A good question, circulation does occur naturally, but the flow of the Living force through an average adult, is equal to a garden hose not completely turned off. It dribbles out and around, its slow, stagnant, it lacks power and pressure. Through focus of will and breathing, we build up flowing of our Energy, we turn the valve on the faucet to increase the water pressure in the hose. Through “Extension”, we divert the primary circulation and run power to arms and legs granting us many abilities we previously did not have. For Example:  faster recovery from injury to the hands  an ability to hit with more force  an ability to move faster  increase in connection to your legs, spine, arms and head (coordination)  increased stamina  increased athletic ability and health  regulating blood pressure  actually experiencing the channels of the body as they truly are  developing an authentic Second Heart the Source of power in technique  The Ability to legitimately project energy for spell, martial or healing purposes  greater sensitivity for sparring and fighting If the system has been around that long, why learn the Sith version? In the Taoist arts, one is taught to center, to calm the mind, to focus on breath and relaxation. Ridiculous Jedi nonsense. We are not monks, we do not live on the tops of hills, distanced from reality with high walls and rules. We are everyone, we are businessmen, shop owners, bar tenders, we interact with Life. Life rarely gives us the ability, or chance, to sit in meditation and calm the mind; not when bills need to be paid, and works needs to be complete. Don’t get me wrong, we know that the methods of constant oneness and relaxation are possible. But why spend 20 years learning to calm the mind just so you can function with the Force in day to day life. In 20 years you may be retired, your business may have collapsed. We are Sith, and we need our powers now, we need abilities that function here, not years from now. In this understanding do we see our differences. You will get angry. You will become sad. You will have stress and disappointment, distractions of all sorts, but still must you be able to work. Through embrace of the Dark Meditation, embrace of ones emotions and passion, the Sith create a power source undisturbed by social anxieties and life’s stress. With that in mind the techniques of circulation and extension become a true technique, an applicable technique, and the Sith now finds power within their grasp. Small Circulation The First and most important step when performing circulation is the successful generation of Force Energy in the Second Heart. Students should have successfully completed that stage before beginning. Once you have mastered the Dark Meditation you will feel your anger and hate sitting in your second heart. As you continue to breath in and compress the Force in the Second heart it will become warm. Continue breathing and focusing. As you continue your abdomen will begin to twitch, do not be discouraged this is a necessary part of the accumulation of the force. The Pump (breathing with focus) has caused a fire(the accumulation of Force Energy) to begin in the Second Heart. Continuing pumping the flames until it feels as if the fire will burst out at any minute, you will notice that once the tingling/twitching stops the fire will become more clear, and discernible to you. Proper sitting position is important at this stage as the Force must not burst forth into the lower legs, So sitting cross legged at this point is essential. If the Force does travel down into the legs it can cause blockage and stagnation commonly referred to as Fire Deviation.Only after small circulation is completely master can you move onto to standing postures In order to properly initiate small circulation to Force must move down the circulation channel towards the perineum, this position is called "The Well", then into the rest of the tailbone. During meditation the mind must guide , through exertion of will, the force through out its circulation. Willing in this instance implies focusing the mind (like you have don't with the second heart) on the points illustrated in the circulation graphic. By keeping the mind at these points the generated Force will travel there as a feeling of spreading heat (though you exact feelings may vary). After you have guided the force from the Second Heart, to The Well, and further into the tailbone, you now have the largest obstacle yet. Drawing strait up your spin you bring the force the "Life's Door". The Life's door is a point directly behind the heart along the spine, to be more exact it is between the 6th and 7th vertebrae. When the Force hits this area it will generally make the heart beat faster. This can be a good indication that you have succeeded. If you loose concentration at this point the Force energy you have accumulated will disperse and can lead to cold sweats, tensing of the nerves and hyperventilation, and more so keep that will strong. An interesting occurance of this happening can be found in Darth Draeths writing on the Second Heart: "When I was but a mere Dark Padawan, taking baby steps in my studies of the ruinous powers,Ii told my master that I was affected by a problem of a nature I could not identify. This problem was that, under certain conditions, and when affected by some stressors, I would feel at the level of my chest a rather unsettling sensation, which spread through my limbs, practically depleting my energy levels, and washing my emotions, in a sort of dysphorya" The Last Major obstacle it to bring the Force from Life's Door to the Jade Pillow, this is a point at the base of the skull on top of the occiptial bone. Because of the structure of bone here, the channel is narrow and so surpassing this point can be difficult. If the energy disperses it can lead to fevers and headaches, so be mindful of your focus and will. Once the Force enters the head the sensation will change from what you have experienced up to this point. Circulation on the back causes back muscles to tense so it is easy to follow. Because of the lower muscular content of the head the feeling normally transfers to a tingling with some of that heat you felt before. as you draw the force over the head you will reach the nose, where the Chanel constrict again leaving us with another point to surpass. The "waters crest". The Waters crest is easy to to locate as it sits directly behind the nose, at the center of the arch of the nose. Once this is passed the Force flows down the roof of the mouth and here is where we meet another aspect of circulation. The tongue needs to be raised so that it touches the center of the roof of the mouth gently. this bridges the circuit and allows the Force to flow down the throat, front of the chest, and arrive back at the Second Heart. Now i haven't spoken of breathing, even though the illustration clearly shows a pattern. The Cyclic movements of the Force must correlate with deep breathing. As you have learned in the Dark Mediation, breathing is the Pump by which the Fires of Darkness are stocked. Breathing is also the pump which drives the Force, along with will, through its circulatory path. To begin, take a deep breath (after you have gathered the force in the second heart) and exhale and guide the Force from the second heart to The Well. Then inhale deeply and guide the force from The Well to Life's door.Exhale deeply and guide the Force up over the head to the Waters Crest. Inhale and allow the Force to follow the breath down to return to the Second Heart. Many Sith refer to a perception of "not feeling the Force" or "It stopped at.." This is normal, continue doing the cycle of breathing focusing on pulling or pushing the energy to each individual point. eventually you will succeed in 4 breaths. Small Circulation Stage 2 Congratulations on getting this far, but now things are going to start accelerating fast. In your last assignment you used 4 breaths to bring circulation to completion, but 4 breaths is far to many to be efficient during any form of combat, or even general movement. This time we are going to shorten the breath to circulation ratio, making one complete circulation in only two breaths. This is a foundation technique and must be mastered before going on to the next. Like before, sit meditatively and observe your Second Heart. Perform the Dark Meditation, and then Perform Small circulation of the 4 breath method. Once your have circulated the force from one point to the waters create Inhale deeply and bring your force from the waters create all the way down past the well into the tail bone. With a singular exhalation breath out and draw the force from the tailbone to the waters crest again. Continue this two breath method. Like before, students often describe a feeling of stasis, like the force is not flowing correctly, or that it has stopped or that they can not feel it at all. Do not not be concerned if this is the case. Like with the 4 breath method, in the beginning, you will be barely circulating the force. Just continue to breath and focus and imagine it is occurring. Eventually the body will get the message of the will and circulation will occur. there is also a method for advanced students, that of reversing this flow. Instead of circulating down through the well and into life's door, go instead in the other direction. Try traveling the energy up the chest, over the head, and down the spine, to return to the second heart. The breathing in this reverse method is the same, in that you inhale between the same point your did in the 4 breath system. for example: 4 breath reverse circulation would be breath in and guide the force from the Second Heart to the waters Crest. Exhale and guide the force over the head to the Life's Door, Inhale bring the force from Life's door to the tailbone, exhale bring the force through the well back to the Second Heart. For the 2 breadth method it would be Inhale breath the force from the back of the second heart (tailbone) to the Waters Crest. Exhale bring the force from waters crest to the tailbone. There is no p[articular benefit from one method over the other. Students should familiarize themselves with both directions of circulation as mastering Force flow becomes necessary later, depending on what technique you are performing. The Student should not move on until he has successfully completed both methods of small circulation, both standard and reverse directions. Grand Circulation It is at this point, that true power and abilities are at your fingertips, or they will be if you can succeed in grand circulation. Whether inscribing in sand, crafting talismans, charging amulets, drawing Sigils, or effecting physical attributes;the ability to take circulated and accumulated energy, and focus it out through the hands (or later any other body part) becomes a mandatory skill. Building on what you have learned in the last stage, you will now take your first steps on the true path to power. To begin, you can use either the Sitting postures or the standing posture. In grand circulation training your whole body should be relaxed, and yet the mind firm. Tension is gone, your muscles are only as tight as is necessary to keep you in proper posture. Hold your arms out in front of you so they are slightly bent at the elbows. Position the hands as if instructing someone to calm down and wait. The palms down and forward, with the fingers raised (see illustration). Though in future exercises you may be asked to send the Force directly into the fingers (the natural pathway of exit) in this exercise we are going to slightly pull the thumb and little finger, of each hand, back which diverts the Force from exiting fingers, instead sending it through the palms. Begin Circulation of the Force as you have in the previous Exercise. When you feel the Force flowing through,when you feel ready, drawing breath in deeply. Bring the Living Force from the Tailbone up your back to your shoulders, while simultaneously drawing the force down down the front of you to prepare for the next cycle. Your moving two sides of the circulating energy at the same time. As you breath out, guide the Force down your arm (not over your head like previously). At the same time you bring the force down your arms, become aware of the Second Heart expanding, feeding a new cycle of energy into the loop, moving new Living force into the tailbone. In this way the Second Heart Continues to feed the circulation, and the circulation continue to feed the extension down the arms. Continue repeating this cycle over and over again until you begin to feel the The Force flowing into the center of the palms. When the Living Force begins to enter the palms you will experience it in much the same way you did original circulation. It will start with a slight feeling of warmth, possibly tingling, and grow to be a strong perceptions of "energy" flowing. Note: though this technique give the impression the circulation is not continuing, in truth it is, but the mind has problems directing the energy out of the hands if you try and think of both circulation and pushing. As you become more experienced at this technique you will feel the continued circulation, and understand that only a part of each circulation are you actually able to extend. This can be a self measure later on for the Sith to gauge how much power is managing to focus, and how truly unlimited his power can be. Once you have achieved Grand Circulation you want to point the fingers and extend out through them,or divert the circulation at the Well by tightening the abdomen and spreading the Force down the legs. Just remember whenever you guide the force it is done with a gentle force, but one free from all possible distraction. Mastering Grand Circulation is the beginning of a world of truly wonderful techniques for the Sith. Through grand circulation you become hyper aware of the subtlety and movement of the Force within the Body. Through this understanding the Sith will be able to perform techniques such as the Four Gates (expanding in top/bottom simultaneously), and much much more. Testing Methodology The student may be looking on these exercises with awe and excitement, or skepticism and disbelief. Ironically, it is the later the Sith should carry. As you walk down the path you will be met time and again with claims of power and efficiency, with little or no method of verification. This is not one of those times. Independent laboratories have studied this phenomenon in a multitude of ways. Below is an outline of 2 of these methods, by which the student can practice, proving with recordable feedback, that you are achieving and are ready to continue. infrared heat One of the easiest one to emulate with an Infrared Thermometer that you can pick up for most superstore. With infrared you can catalog the entire procedure of Force emission by reading the thermal flow moving from the arm to palm to his finger tips. You can also check the surface temperature of the aimed at area up to 3 feet away. Orginal Study by Joint Research Group of Somatic Science at Shanghai University microwave radiation Another east test to emulate is to use a microwave radiation meter, these are not too expensive, and can also be used for testing talismans or other charged objects. You hold, or have someone else hold, the antenna near field (20-40 cm away) and far field (10-12 ft away). A increase of wavelength should occur if extension is successful. Orginal Study by Beijing Institute of Technology There are many other ways that the Force's effect on matter can be tested, even though the Force itself can not. It is beyond the scope of this article to give you instructions in all these methods, the curious student need only search to find other methods.